Thursday's $ Plays

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Record: 42-32, + 27.19 Units


Thursday's Record: 10-0

Georgia Tech (4-2) at Maryland (4-2)


7:30 ET W/L ATS H A AF AA O/U
Ga.Tech 4-2 2-4 2-1 2-1 27.5 16.2 0-5
Mary. 4-2 3-2 3-2 1-0 30.7 16.8 1-2

Opening Line Maryland (-1.5) some (-2)

Will be posting more info on this game for the next few days, I really love this game and hopefully any line movement will go my way.

 

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Georgia Tech Has Cause to Be Leery
Yellow Jackets Bitten by Injury Bug

By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 14, 2002; Page D04


Georgia Tech Coach Chan Gailey was following his pregame routine and walking about the field when the news came. The Yellow Jackets' starting kicker had strained his groin muscle while warming up and would not be able to play. That alone might not have been a big deal, but for a team that already had lost its top offensive and top defensive players for the season to injuries, it was enough to make Gailey wonder what was next.

"I got a little nervous for the coaches going to the press box," Gailey said. "I thought somebody might fall and break a leg or something. I don't know. That was one of those times where you say, 'Man, what else can happen?' "

It has been that kind of season for Georgia Tech (4-2), which plays Thursday night at Maryland. The on-field mishaps began in mid-September, when it was learned that defensive end Greg Gathers, the school's all-time sack leader, would miss the rest of the season because of a kidney ailment. The following week, Tony Hollings, who had played well after moving from safety to running back in spring practice, tore knee ligaments, an injury that knocked him out for the season.

The next week, all-ACC kicker Luke Manget was injured minutes before the Yellow Jackets played North Carolina, a game in which Georgia Tech turned to a pair of untested freshmen at running back. Georgia Tech pulled out that game, 21-13, but lost its most recent game to Wake Forest, 24-21, as Gailey declined to send Manget, who was still sore, for two long field goal attempts that could have tied the game in the fourth quarter.

Although the Yellow Jackets were in position to at least force overtime late in regulation, that defeat prompted questions about the team's play at quarterback. Tennessee transfer A.J. Suggs has disappointed many fans and ranks eighth among the ACC's nine starters in passing efficiency. Redshirt freshman Damarius Bilbo waits in the wings.

"It's been an up and down year; that's putting it mildly," Gailey said.

"I'm not sure I've been through a year that has had so many peaks and valleys. What you want to try to do is continually build. You would like to have a stairstep thing, where you're building each week. It hasn't been that way for us."

Georgia Tech's transition started last December, when then-coach George O'Leary left for Notre Dame, only to resign a few days later because of inaccuracies on his r?sum?. Georgia Tech opted not to take O'Leary back, instead hiring Gailey, a native of Americus, Ga., and former Dallas Cowboys coach.

But there were further r?sum? issues for Georgia Tech. Two assistant coaches hired by Gailey were found to have factual inconsistencies in their school-released biographies. Defensive coordinator Rick Smith resigned; wide receivers coach Tommie Robinson remained on the staff.

Once the Yellow Jackets were able to get on the field, though, things seemed to be looking up. Hollings, a backup safety, earned the starting role at running back in spring practice, then racked up 633 yards and four touchdowns in four games before being injured in a 28-19 win over Brigham Young on Sept. 21. The next night, when he was found to be visibly upset, Gathers was taken to a hospital and an unloaded gun was found in his room. Georgia Tech officials attributed the behavior to a reaction to medicine Gathers was taking for his kidney problems.

Through it all, the Yellow Jackets have persevered. Freshman Ajenavi Eziemefe is the team's starting tailback, while linebackers Keyaron Fox and Recardo Wimbush lead a defense that ranks first in the ACC in fewest points allowed.

"We've done some very good things and we've been through some tough times," Gailey said. "Overall, I think our players have held together and stayed strong."

 

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After a week off, Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-2 ACC) takes on conference rival Maryland (4-2, 0-1 ACC) Thursday at 7:45 p.m. at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Md. The nationally-televised meeting marks the fifth time since 1995 that the Jackets and Terrapins will face off on ESPN's popular Thursday night telecast.

This match-up also marks the second meeting between former Tech offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ralph Friedgen and his former employer. Friedgen served in that capacity from 1987-91 and 1997-2000. The Terrapins took the first meeting a year ago, taking a 20-17 overtime decision in Atlanta. Tech leads the all-time series 10-4 and has won four of the last five meetings.

The game with Maryland also marks the third and final time this season that Tech faces a team coached by a former Rambling Wreck assistant. The Jackets have defeated former defensive coordinator Randy Edsall of Connecticut and former offensive coordinator Gary Crowton of Brigham Young.

"I think that the fact that he was here helps us, but it helps them too," said Tech head coach Chan Gailey. "They know some of our things offensively as well. They played each other last year with basically the same offenses on both sides. We've probably made a few more changes than they have offensively. We're also different defensively, whereas they are the same defensively, so the carryover from last year's game for us is a little bit better in that respect."

Last time out, the Jackets dropped a 24-21 decision at Wake Forest. Maryland is coming off a 48-17 victory at West Virginia, the Terps third-consecutive non-conference win.

Offensively, the Terps have come alive of late, scoring at least 37 points in each of their last three outings, all victories. A big part has been the play at running back of freshman Josh Allen and senior Chris Downs. Downs leads the team with 408 yards and six scores, while Allen has added 266 yards and five touchdowns. Both backs are capable of having a big outing, as Allen is coming off a 116-yard performance against the Mountaineers, while Downs posted 147 yards versus Wofford on September 28.

According to Gailey, the play of quarterback Scott McBrien has also figured into the Terps success.

"He has become more mature and he's become better each week and gotten more productive," said Gailey. "They are throwing more things at him and their offense is broadening and expanding, so you take all of that into account and that's what has happened."

Maryland's defense has also been solid, allowing just 26 points in the last three games. The unit is allowing 16.8 points per game, a mark which ranks second in the ACC and 19th nationally. The Jackets lead the conference and rank 16th nationally, allowing just 16.2 points per game. Maryland has been especially tough against the run, holding West Virginia 159 yards below its national-best average of 345.5 yards per game. A big part of this strong play has been the Terps' front seven, including all-America linebacker E.J. Henderson.

"They try to move those guys around and line up in some different fronts and bring them from different spots," said Gailey. "If you can get a hat on a hat, it's just like running against anybody else, with a few exceptions. E.J. Henderson is one of those, because he can defeat a blocker and make the tackle."

Henderson leads the squad with 73 combined tackles, including 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He holds the Maryland record for career tackles for loss and currently ranks second in the ACC in sacks.

Anchoring the Yellow Jacket defense is an experienced secondary and linebacking corps. Junior Keyaron Fox leads the team with 49 tackles. Fellow linebackers Daryl Smith and Recardo Wimbush rank second and third on the team with 45 and 38 tackles, respectively.

Offensively, the Jackets turn to the ACC's top receiver, senior Kerry Watkins, who leads the conference with 5.0 receptions per game and 88.0 yards per game. He has 30 catches for 528 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 130 catches for 2,158 yards and 20 scores for his career.

Freshman Ajenavi Eziemefe will make his third start at tailback Thursday. He has run for 208 yards and two scores on 52 carries, following the season-ending injury to Tony Hollings.

 

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The Game
- The University of Maryland football team returns home this week as it will host Georgia Tech in the first of seven straight Atlantic Coast Conference matchups that close out the remainder of the '02 regular season slate. The Terrapins and Yellow Jackets will kick it off at Byrd Stadium in front of a nationally televised audience at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday night on ESPN. The game will also be broadcast locally on the Terrapin Sports Network and nationally on Westwood One.
- The Terps are coming off of a bye week, but enter the game riding the momentum of their best win of the 2002 campaign in a 48-17 drubbing of West Virginia on the Mountaineers' home turf on October 5th. In the win, Maryland posted its most lopsided victory at WVU since 1950 and its biggest road win since a 45-14 victory at Virginia in 1982.
- The win at WVU was Maryland's third in a row and pushed its record to 4-2 overall (0-1 ACC). The Terps will now seek their first conference win of 2002 against the team they earned one of their most memorable wins against a year ago en route to an ACC championship, Georgia Tech.
- Like the Terps, Georgia Tech had last week off. Unlike Maryland, it didn't enter the bye week on a high note as the Yellow Jackets suffered their first home loss of the season and second overall in a 24-21 loss to Wake Forest on October 5th. The win was the Demon Deacons' first in Atlanta since 1994.

Series Notes
- Thursday's game marks the 15th meeting between the Terrapins and Yellow Jackets. The series began in 1988 and Georgia Tech owns a 10-4 advantage all-time.
- Like last season, this year's game will take place on a Thursday night in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN. The 2001 edition served as a national coming-out party for former Tech assistant Ralph Friedgen and his Terps as Maryland beat the Yellow Jackets, 20-17, in overtime.
- Among the Terps on this year's roster who played a notable role in the win a year ago, E.J. Henderson, Jafar Williams and Nick Novak stand out. Henderson had what was then a career-high 18 tackles and scored the game's first points on a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Williams scored the first rushing TD of his career on a beautiful 11-yard reverse that put the Terps up 14-0. And most memorable of all was Novak's 46-yard field goal to send the game to overtime before connecting on a 26-yarder that ultimately served as the game winner. Then a redshirt freshman, Novak came into the game having never made anything longer than 33 yards in a collegiate game.
- Last year's dramatic win broke a four-game Georgia Tech win streak in the series and was the first-ever for the Terrapins in Atlanta.
- Three of Maryland's four wins in the series have come at Byrd Stadium (1988, 1996 and 1996), and despite the fact that it is a home-and-home series, this year's game will be just the second in six years at Byrd Stadium (the 1998 matchup took place at PSINet Stadium in Baltimore).
- Though the Terps have been beaten 10 times in 14 meetings, they have a .500 record (3-3) when Friedgen is not a member of the Yellow Jacket coaching staff (1992-96 Friedgen was with the Chargers and last year he was with Maryland).

Defense Stepping Up
- In its win over West Virginia, the Maryland defense held the nation's No. 1 rushing offense 159 yards below its season average of 345.5 yards per outing. Though the effort was impressive, it should have come as no surprise as it is a trend the Terps have maintained nearly all year.
- In all but one game this year (Akron), the Terrapin defense has held its opposition below its season average. On the whole, the Terps have held their foes to 96.2 yards per game less on the ground than their average coming into the game and in the lone game it did not hold its opposition below its average (Akron), it still held it under 100 yards (82). (Note: Notre Dame was not included because it was the season's first game, however, the 130 yards Maryland held the Irish to is 12 yards shy of its current per game average.)
- The Terps' impressive work has not come against weak competition, either, as two of its most impressive outings have occurred against two of the nation's top rushing teams.
- West Virginia averaged 345.5 rushing yards per game coming into its game against the Terps, had the nation's leading rusher in Avon Cobourne and was coming in on the heels of a game which saw it run for 536 yards. Maryland held WVU 159 yards below its average and Cobourne 36 yards below his average even with him carrying the ball 30 times and having a 43-yard run mixed in.
- Florida State was the nation's No. 3 rushing offense coming into the Maryland game, averaging 318 yards per game largely behind Greg Jones, who was then the nation's eighth-leading rusher at 143 yards per game. The Terrapins held the 'Noles to 169 yards (149 below their average) and Jones to 106 (37 below his average), with Jones gaining most of his yardage late in the game (54 yards on 16 carries heading into the fourth quarter).

More On The Defense
- Through October 12, Gary Blackney's unit has allowed just 16.8 points per game, 14th-best nationally and second in the ACC. The Terps' pass defense ranks 26th nationally, allowing an average of 182.3 yards per game.
- The Terps have been toughest to score on this year at the start of each half, yielding 16 and 20 points in the first and third quarters, respectively.
- In the last three games, Maryland has allowed just three touchdowns and an average of 9.3 points per game.

Three-For-One
- With the hiring of Ralph Friedgen and Friedgen's ensuing hires of offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe and defensive coordinator Gary Blackney prior to the 2001 season, the Terrapins got the equivalent of three head coaches atop one coaching staff. Though Friedgen is in just his second season as a head coach, Taaffe (Montreal Alouettes and The Citadel) and Blackney (Bowling Green) each bring head coaching experience to the table.
- Taaffe and Blackney were able to maintain success virtually everywhere they had been as head coaches. While in Montreal, Taaffe guided the Alouettes to a combined 25-14 record (two seasons) and an appearance in the 2000 Grey Cup. In 1999 and 2000, he was named the CFL's Coach of the Year, making him only the second coach to earn such an honor in back-to-back seasons (Marv Levy the first in 1974) and the first ever to do so in his first two campaigns. In addition, he is the winningest coach in The Citadel's history.
- Blackney was able to achieve in his own right as a head coach at Bowling Green. In 10 successful seasons, Blackney won 60 games (third most in school history), was the only coach in school history to win a bowl game (his Falcons won the 1991 California Raisin Bowl and the 1992 Las Vegas Bowl) and was the only coach to win more than 10 games in back-to-back seasons (11 in 1991; 10 in 1992).
- Now in their second seasons at Maryland, the trio comprises one of the most experienced triumvirates in college football. With their 85 years of combined, full-time experience at the college and/or pro levels, Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney are the fifth-most experienced trio in Division I-A.

A Wealth of Experience
- The coaching experience does not end on the Terrapin coaching staff with Coach Friedgen and his coordinators. The Maryland staff overall possesses a combined total of 206 years of full-time experience at either the collegiate or pro levels.
- That total includes five coaches (excluding Friedgen, Taaffe and Blackney) who have been at it for 18 years or more, and the 206 years means an average of almost 21 years of experience per coach on the 2002 staff.

Odds & Ends -- West Virginia
- With 28 points in the first quarter, Maryland had one of its most prolific quarters in recent history. The Terps' four first-quarter touchdowns gave them the most points in a quarter since the team posted 29 vs. Duke on October 23, 1982, a feat that was accomplished 225 games ago.
- The Terps racked up 215 yards on the ground against West Virginia, giving them 703 over their last three contests.
- By holding WVU 159 yards below its average, Maryland outgained what was the nation's best rushing team coming in, 215-186.
- Among those who got into the act against the Mountaineers were a couple of players who notched career firsts. Gerrick McPhearson snuffed a late scoring effort with his first career interception and Ray Custis stopped another scoring drive in the fourth with his first career sack on 4th and 5.
- Maryland posted its highest sack total of the season against West Virginia, putting down the Mountaineers' signal callers eight times.
- Junior linebacker Leon Joe had another strong outing, notching 11 tackles (six solo). In his five games this year, Joe has tallied double-digit tackles three times.

 

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Livin' Here In Allen/Downs
- The Terrapin rushing attack has been revived in recent weeks -- despite the fact that the anticipated return of injured tailback Bruce Perry has not transpired -- and it has done so behind a pair of players who have taken different roads to the top of the depth chart.
- Freshman Josh Allen and senior Chris Downs have been key cogs in the Terrapins' return to their winning ways, despite a contrast in styles.
- At 5-11 and 194 pounds, Allen is a true freshman who plays stronger than his size and has the ability to get outside with speed that hovers in the 4.5 range and possibly below. The season began with the likelihood of Allen redshirting this year but with his grasp of the playbook improving, his play in practice practically forced the coaches to give him a look this year.
- Like Allen, Downs forced his way into the lineup but in a different way. Downs, starter in each of the last five games, made his way into the lineup with a great attitude and work ethic. At 5-8 and 193 pounds, he is slight but strong and has shown the ability to both find the hole as well as take it the distance. Prior to this season, Downs had carried the ball just four times for 14 yards with most of his work coming on special teams.
- Against West Virginia, Allen had the first 100-yard rushing day of his career, gaining 116 yards on 16 carries and adding a pair of touchdowns. He became the first Terp true freshman to rush for over 100 yards since QB Randall Jones ran for 115 against Duke on November 14, 1998. In three games of work, Allen has rushed 40 times for a robust 266 yards and five touchdowns.
- A week after becoming the first Maryland back in 12 games to rush for over 100 yards with a career-high 147 against Wofford, Downs ran four times for 73 yards against West Virginia, with a 72-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to put the finishing touches on a big win.
- Downs has found the end zone at least once in each of the five games he has played this season. He has also averaged no fewer than 4.2 yards per carry in any outing this year.
- Allen and Downs are each averaging over 6.0 yards per carry this season (Allen 6.6; Downs 6.0).
- The duo has gotten better each week and has been outstanding since the Florida State game. Following the game with the Seminoles, Maryland averaged 94.0 yards per game, a total that ranked 100th nationally and last in the ACC. This week, the Terps average 164.2 yards per game which moves them to 51st nationally and sixth in the conference.
- Since the Florida State game, the Terps have averaged 234.3 rushing yards per game.

Big Play E.J.
- Senior All-American and 2001 Butkus Award finalist E.J. Henderson burst onto the national scene last season and -- despite an offseason of worries about his back -- has returned to the form that had him rated by many publications as the nation's best defensive player in 2002.
- Six games into the season, Henderson has continually improved and looks like the E.J. of old, a relief to the Terps considering he had back surgery on April 8 and missed all of spring practice. Henderson had a team-high 15 tackles (14 solo), against West Virginia, the fifth time in six games this year he has been in double digits for tackles. He also had 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss en route to being named ACC defensive lineman of the week.
- With his sack against Wofford (9/28), Henderson set the Maryland career record for tackles for loss with his 46th. That total broke the mark of 45 set by former teammate Aaron Thompson (1998-2001). He now has 48.5 for his career.
- With 28 TFLs last season, Henderson posted the best single season in modern Maryland history. His four tackles behind the line against Clemson broke the record of 24 set by the legendary Randy White in 1974, the first season the stat began being kept at Maryland.
- The 2001 ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Henderson has led the Terrapins in tackles in each of the past two seasons and leads the Terps again in '02. In 2000, he notched 109 tackles despite missing a game-and-a-half due to injury before posting an ACC-leading 150 tackles last season. This year, Henderson tops the Terps' charts and is third in the ACC with 73 tackles.
- Henderson has led Maryland in tackling in all but three games the last two years (15 of 18 games).
- Six games into the season, Henderson has posted 371 career tackles. He currently stands eighth on the Maryland career charts and now needs 12 to move into seventh.
- Henderson has averaged 13.2 tackles per game (278 total) in his last 21 games dating back to the 2000 season.
- In his two-plus years as the starter at Maryland, Henderson has notched double-digits in tackles 21 times. Dating back to his sophomore season, Henderson has finished with double-digit tackle performances in 18 of the last 21 games. On five occasions he has had 17 tackles or more.

Perry Injury Lingers
- Less than 10 days before their opener against Notre Dame, the Terps learned that they would be without their top returning offensive player from a year ago, junior tailback and 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bruce Perry. Perry has now missed the season's first six games and his status for the Georgia Tech game is undetermined as of October 14.
- On Tuesday, August 20, Perry suffered a third-degree tear of his left groin (adductor longus) muscle. The injury took place during warmups prior to a scrimmage as Perry's foot was stepped on by an offensive lineman and as he made an effort to pull his leg free, he felt a "pop."
- No surgery was necessary and the initial timetable for Perry's recovery was anticipated to be 4-8 weeks from the time of his injury. Should he return for Georgia Tech, he will have been out eight weeks.
- Perry entered the '02 season as the lone returning finalist from last year's Doak Walker Award. He ran for 1,242 yards as a sophomore last year, his first as the Terps' starter. In addition, he finished ninth in the nation in all-purpose yards with an average of 156.2 yards per outing

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Watch Out
- When last year began, the Terps' lone mention on any "watch lists" for national awards was punter Brooks Barnard. By season's end, the team had Barnard as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, E.J. Henderson as a finalist for the Butkus Award, Bruce Perry a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and Melvin Fowler a finalist for the Rimington Trophy.
- This season, those who vote did not take any chances as Barnard is again on the Guy list, Henderson is the only returnee among Butkus finalists, Perry is the lone returnee among Doak Walker finalists and offensive lineman Todd Wike is on the watch list for the Outland and Lombardi trophies. In addition, Henderson enters the season as one of the nation's favorites for the Nagurski Award and is on the Walter Camp Player of the Year "watch list."

Lean On Seniority
- Despite the fact that this year will be the last for several big names on the Terrapin roster, the team is one that will not need to do a significant amount of replacing next year.
- Though people will ask at season's end how the Terps will replace players like E.J. Henderson, Todd Wike and Brooks Barnard, a closer look shows that there will not be a lot of turnover between this season and next. Amazingly, this year's team features a total of only 11 seniors, with just seven figuring as starters on the latest depth chart.
- The lack of seniority will be particularly helpful on defense next year when only three players who see significant playing time -- Henderson, Durrand Roundtree and Ty Stewart -- will be lost to graduation, leaving nine returning starters.

McBrien Steps Up
- Junior signal caller Scott McBrien has come on the last three games and appears to be headed in the right direction after a huge win at his former school, West Virginia, on October 5th.
- Against the Mountaineers -- a team he transferred from just under a year-and-a-half ago -- McBrien came out and did not show any of the early jitters that could be expected of a player in his situation.
- In the first quarter, McBrien led four scoring drives, the first of which he capped with a 21-yard option keeper that fooled the entire Mountaineer defense. All told, he finished the quarter 4-of-5 for 95 yards and one TD through the air while rushing three times for 21 yards and a TD on the ground.
- In just over 10 quarters of work the last three weeks, McBrien has completed 33-of-56 passes for 590 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
- McBrien has also looked more comfortable running with the football in recent weeks, a requirement in Ralph Friedgen and Charlie Taaffe's offense.
- McBrien's quarterback rating for the past three games has been 176.9. For the season, he has a 131.97 rating, 46th-best in the NCAA.

 

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Bootin' Barnard
- Senior All-ACC punter and Ray Guy Award hopeful Brooks Barnard thought his punting was not up to snuff in 2001. Despite those feelings, Barnard ranked seventh nationally and first in the ACC with a 44.6 yard punting average. For the sake of the 2002 season, Terp faithful can only hope he was right that his efforts fell shy of his potential.
- Barnard opened the 2002 season kicking off of a bad left ankle (his plant foot) after one of his teammates was pushed into him at practice two days before the Notre Dame game. He has since begun to return to form and now ranks first in the ACC and 14th nationally with a 43.2-yard average.
- Barnard kicked twice for a 56.5-yard average against Wofford with one kick sailing 60 yards and one landing inside the 20.
- Against Florida State, Barnard had his best outing of the season, averaging 47.5 yards on six punts with four kicks traveling over 50 yards and one going out of bounds inside the one-yard line.
- Of Barnard's 23 punts this year, four have been downed inside the 20 (four inside the 20 and one inside the 10) and seven have been 50 yards or further.
- Barnard has finished each of the last two seasons ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Last year, he finished seventh with a 44.6-yard average while the year before, he finished fourth with a school-record 44.7-yard average. After starting slow this season, he now ranks 12th in the NCAA.
- As impressive as any of Barnard's punting stats may be the numbers he has posted in the weight room. In offseason testing, he benched 400 pounds, cleaned 286 and was timed at 4.65 in the 40-yard dash.

Nick the Kick
- Nick Novak came on midway through last season to help shore up the Terrapins' kicking game and help Maryland -- with the aid of punter Brooks Barnard -- stake a claim to having one of the best kicking tandems in the country.
- Starting with his game-tying kick at Georgia Tech a year ago, Novak has made 21 of his last 25 field goal attempts with three of the misses coming from further than 50 yards and four of his successful attempts being longer than 50.
- In the West Virginia game, Novak showed a powerful leg, successfully hitting from 37 and 46 yards while driving 5-of-9 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. On the season, Novak has had 16-of-39 kicks result in touchbacks.
- Against Wofford, Novak was 3-of-4 on field goals - with his only miss coming on a 57-yard attempt (into the wind) in the fourth quarter -- including a successful attempt from 50 yards.
- Novak has made four of eight for his career from 50 yards or further (and 3-for-4 this season).
- Novak set the school record for PATs in a season in 2001 with his 41st at NC State and fell just one field goal shy of tying that single-season record (17 - Dan Plocki ('88), Jess Atkinson ('84).
- The sophomore has made 52 straight PATs. His 25-yard field goal miss against Akron earlier this year broke a streak of 12 straight successful kicks under 50 yards.
- With 1.67 field goals per game, Novak now ranks second in the ACC and 11th nationally.

Homeboys
- In his first signing day with the Terps (2001), Ralph Friedgen said that in addition to landing some of the top recruits nationally, one of his goals was to make sure that all of the best players in the state of Maryland stayed in state and became Terps.
- Over the course of the past five years, the Maryland-D.C.-Northern Virginia recruiting area has been tapped more successfully in each ensuing year. In 1997, just 23 players on the Maryland roster hailed from either Maryland, D.C. or Northern Virginia, with six of those serving as opening-game starters. Since that time, however, numbers in both categories have risen steadily. Below is a look at the trend (next page):

Md./D.C./No. Va. '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02
Players on Roster 23 34 39 46 49 54
Opening-Day Starters 6 5 7 12 10 14
Coaching Connections
- Ralph Friedgen is not the only member of the Terrapin coaching staff with ties to College Park, though this is his fourth stint at Maryland (player from 1965-68; graduate assistant from 1969-72; offensive coordinator/offensive line coach from 1982-86 and the present stint).
- Inside linebackers coach Rod Sharpless played linebacker at Maryland from 1972-74, was an outside linebackers coach from 1977-80 and a wide receivers coach for the Terps in '90 and '91. Defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo was a graduate assistant for the Terrapins in 1984 and defensive line coach in '86-87.
- Sollazzo is also one of several coaches with a connection to another institution - The Citadel. Sollazzo played for (1974-76) and helped coach (1989-98) the Bulldogs, while Friedgen coached there from 1973-79, Charlie Taaffe was a head coach there from 1987-96 and outside linebackers coach Al Seamonson served there from 1987-99.

Tough Losses
- Maryland's four losses in the last two years have come at the hands of the stiffest of competition.
- FSU was ranked 19th last year and fifth this year when the Terps took it on. Florida was the fifth-ranked team in the nation when it faced Maryland in the Orange Bowl in 2001 and Notre Dame -- although unranked at the start of the season -- is now undefeated and ranked ninth in both polls.

Starks Manning the Middle
- Sophomore defensive tackle Randy Starks has continued his improvement after a strong true freshman campaign a year ago and now is shaping up as one of the better defensive linemen in the conference.
- Against West Virginia, the 6-4, 302-pound tackle from Waldorf had probably his best game as a Terrapin, notching 12 tackles (nine solo) and three sacks (minus 15).
- Through six games this year, Starks has posted some eye-popping numbers for an interior defensive lineman. He is third on the team in tackles with 47, first in TFLs (six) and second in sacks (5.0).
- Starks' tackle total is tops in the ACC among defensive tackles (second among defensive linemen overall) and his average of .83 sacks per game is tied for third on the league charts.

Iron Terps
- For the second consecutive season, Maryland boasted record strength numbers and again posted its highest number of student-athletes earning "Iron Terp" status. In preseason strength and conditioning testing this year, the Terrapins again set four team strength records.
- This year's Terps set team records for strength index, power clean, squat and bench press, improving on the previous all-time team highs that had been established since such records have been kept (started in 1983).
- Individually, six Terrapins set 11 records in disciplines at their respective positions, but the star in the weightroom was again DE Durrand Roundtree.
- Roundtree, a senior from Baltimore, did not break his records of a year ago, but still posted amazing numbers. Among them: an 826 strength index (700 is considered high), a 490-pound bench, a 720-pound squat and a 35-inch vertical jump.

Super Suter
- Almost midway through the season, one thing has become apparent in regard to Maryland's special teams -- sophomore Steve Suter brings excitement to the return game that the Terps haven't seen since the likes of standout Jermaine Lewis.
- In the West Virginia game, Suter was at it again, putting the capper on a 28-point opening quarter for Maryland with an 80-yard punt return for a TD, his second of the year.
- With one more punt return for a score, Suter will have more than any player in Maryland history. He joins Bob Smith (1973) as the only player to return more than one for a touchdown in a season.
- With seven games remaining, Suter already ranks ninth on the Maryland single-season list for punt return yards with 233 and has returned punts for 67 more yards than the Terps did as a team all of last year.
- As of late, he has also shown that the spark he gives the Terps will not be limited to returns. Against Wofford, Suter caught his second touchdown of the season, a 10-yarder from Scott McBrien. In the second quarter of the Eastern Michigan game, Suter scored on a 91-yard strike from McBrien. The effort was the second-longest passing touchdown in Maryland history (longest was Ed Bolton (92 yards) vs. South Carolina in 1949).
- Against Notre Dame, Suter tried to get Maryland started as he returned the first ball he touched 51 yards. Against Akron a week later, he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, giving the Terps a 21-7 lead at the start of the second quarter.
- Suter's punt return for a touchdown against Akron was the first by a Terrapin since Lewis went 66 yards versus NC State in 1995.
- Suter enters this week ranked ninth nationally in kickoff returns (27.1 ypr) and 21st in punt returns (13.9 ypr). Those totals each rank first in the ACC.

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

Newcomer Invasion
- The Terrapins have had a significant number of newcomers contribute already this season, including several freshmen who have played significant roles.
- Six games in, a total of 22 players have seen action for the first time as Terps (four juniors, two sophomores, nine redshirt freshmen and seven true freshmen).
- The seven true freshmen seeing action is two more than the Terps had play all of last year.

Local Ties
- The Terrapins have five players who call the state of Georgia home. Offensive linemen C.J. Brooks (Rex), Eric Dumas (Atlanta) and Stephon Heyer (Lawrenceville) are joined by WR Latrez Harrison (Atlanta) and QB Joel Statham (Chatsworth) as natives of the Peach State.
- Ralph Friedgen isn't the only member of the Terp coaching staff with ties to Georgia Tech. Offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe was with the Jackets as a graduate assistant in 1974 and defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo served as defensive tackles coach there from 1999-2000.
- The Yellow Jackets have a pair of players from the Old-Line State, and both are linebackers. Anthony Lawston is a Baltimore native while Sterling Green graduated from nearby Northwestern HS in Hyattsville.
- Two Yellow Jacket coaches have ties to Maryland. Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta was a graduate assistant at Maryland in 1983 while special teams coordinator Tommy Raye was an assistant in Annapolis with Navy from 1995-99.
- Though this week's meeting will be the first ever on the college gridiron for Ralph Friedgen and Chan Gailey, it will not be the first time they have been on opposite sides of the ball. The duo have been on opposing sidelines as assistant coaches in the NFL four times as Friedgen was an offensive coordinator with the Chargers and Gailey a receivers coach and offensive coordinator with the Steelers (each was on the winning team twice).

Grid & Hardwood Harmony
- Last year marked the first time in University of Maryland history that the school's football and basketball teams were both ranked in the nation's top six during the same week.
- The Terrapins, ranked at No. 6 heading into the Orange Bowl, were joined by the basketball Terps who -- at the same time -- had been ranked second nationally. In the end, the basketball Terrapins went on to claim the national title while its football brethren were ACC champs.

Scouting The Ramblin' Wreck
- Georgia Tech travels to College Park with a 4-2 record (1-1 ACC), and working to get back on track after a tough loss heading into its bye week.
- On October 5th, the Yellow Jackets fell to Wake Forest, 24-21, in Atlanta for the first time since 1994. Tech allowed 447 yards to the Demon Deacons while Wake controlled the clock for 37:56 in the win.
- In typical Chan Gailey fashion, Georgia Tech has gotten almost a perfect balance of pass and run this season as it averages 180.0 yards per game on the ground and 192.3 yards per game through the air.
- Tech's top offensive player this season has been senior WR Kerry Watkins who leads the ACC in receiving with an average of five receptions and 88 yards per game. Prior to the BYU game, junior TB Tony Hollings would have drawn mention alongside Watkins as he was averaging 158.2 yards rushing per game, but he tore his ACL against the Cougars and was lost for the season.
- On the defensive side of the ball, LB Keyaron Fox is the team's leading tackler through six games, posting 49 tackles and a team-high eight TFLs. Similar to the offense, Tech has lost one of its top players -- DE Greg Gathers -- to injury this year.
- The difference maker seems to be the rushing game for Georgia Tech this year. In four wins, the Jackets have outrushed their opposition each time, averaging 225 yards to their opponents' 80. In the two losses, they were outgained on the ground each time and averaged 90 yards compared to their opposition's 202.

Tech Coach Chan Gailey
- Chan Gailey is in his first year as the head coach at Georgia Tech. His 4-2 overall record is also his career record at the Division I-A level.
- Gailey took over the reins at Georgia Tech after two successful years as the offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. That stint followed his first head coaching job in the NFL as he was at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 and 1999.
- Gailey compiled an 18-14 mark with the Cowboys, a job he took after working as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994-97. In his four years in Pittsburgh, the Steelers were divisional champs all four years, appeared in the AFC championship game three times, and earned a berth in the Super Bowl once.
- In this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach, Gailey is spending his first at the Division I-A level. His first head coaching job came in 1983-84 when he led Troy State to a 19-5 record in two years and, ultimately, a Division II national championship in 1984. His other job at the college level was at Samford in 1993 where he went 5-6 before leaving to take the job with the Steelers as a wide receivers coach (he was later promoted to offensive coordinator.
- A native of Gainesville, Ga., Gailey first made a name for himself in Gainesville, Fla., where he played QB for the Gators from 1971-73 and earned a bachelor's in physical education in 1974.

Transportation Throwbacks
- Though they played their first "official" road game of the year last weekend at West Virginia, the Terrapins' travel schedule continues to look something like that of the Terps of the early 1900s.
- With last week's travel being by bus, Maryland can likely claim something not many major Division I-A schools can -- that it has yet to fly to a game this season. Fact is, the Terps will not fly for the first time until their October 26th game at Duke.
- Maryland has played at two sites away from Byrd Stadium this season, traveling by train to the Kickoff Classic (Newark, N.J.) against Notre Dame and by bus for the October 5th game against WVU.

New-Look Terps ... Again
- The Terrapins of 2001 had a new head coach, a new look to their uniform and helmet and in the end, a whole new way of playing football compared to recent years. Though the hope is that the brand of football will remain the same under the coach who is back for year two, the Terrapins' uniforms are seeing a change -- again.
- This year, the Terps' helmets remain the same as a year ago but the uniforms are a new look designed for Maryland by Nike. The uniforms were created with the past in mind even though the look is modern; the stripes on the shoulders are reminiscent of Terp uniforms of the '50s and '60s.

Building For The Future
- When the Terrapins take the field at Byrd Stadium this year, there will be many changes to the stadium that has been home to the Terps since 1950. Some will be apparent as soon as one sets foot in the stadium and others would only be noticeable to the men who wear the Maryland colors on game day.
- The most glaring change at Byrd Stadium rests above Gossett Team House in the form of a brand new, state-of-the-art video scoreboard. The new board features a high-resolution screen that is 21-feet tall by 28-feet wide and is capable of displaying in excess of 281 trillion colors.
- In addition to the bright visible new video board, it may go overlooked by some that expansion has taken place on the building below it, the Gossett Football Team House. Thus far, the coaches' offices have been refurbished as have meeting rooms and the equipment room.
- Other phases that await completion will include the addition of a new academics support and career development unit; a new multi-purpose room that will feature a kitchen and dining facilities; a new team meeting auditorium; and an expanded entrance and lobby area.

The Graduates
- Maryland has four players who earned their bachelor's degree before they even set foot on the field this season.
- Linebacker E.J. Henderson and offensive linemen Todd Wike and Matt Crawford all earned their degrees and are working toward additional degrees. All three earned their degrees this past spring, with Henderson and Crawford receiving bachelor's in criminology and criminal justice while Wike earned his degree in philosophy.
- Finally, after applying to graduate next spring and not knowing he already had enough credits, offensive lineman Ed Tyler learned last week that he has earned his degree in economics -- after just three years at Maryland.
- From the membership has its benefits file: Ralph Friedgen lets players line up to eat by grade point average and after questioning Henderson for heading up to the front of the line last week, that line is now led by Terrapin graduates. (Henderson had responded that he thought graduation was the pinnacle anyway so "shouldn't (he) be allowed to go first?").

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team returns to action next week after a big win at West Virginia on October 5th and then an off week, and it does so in grand fashion as it will play host to Georgia Tech, the team it beat a year ago and drew the attention of the nation on its way to an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

The Terrapins will play host to the Yellow Jackets on Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. in front of a nationally-televised audience (ESPN) from Byrd Stadium.

There are some differences between this year's game and last, as a year ago, the billing was of Ralph Friedgen's return home to square off against his old team and his best friend, George O'Leary. O'Leary is now in Minnesota with the Vikings and former Dallas head coach and Miami Dolphin's offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has taken over the reins. The quarterback that Friedgen helped turn into one of the best in the NCAA, George Godsey, has graduated. But what remains are two teams still fighting for an ACC championship and a rivalry that began with a huge kick a year ago.

In last year's game, the Terps had taken an early 14-0 lead only to fall behind 17-14 with time running out. Maryland took the ball with 1:18 left and quarterback Shaun Hill led the Terps into field goal position. Problem at the time was that the Terrapins were relying on a player in redshirt freshman Nick Novak who had only made four of his previous 11 attempts and the longest had come from 33 yards. This one was going to be from 46 yards with time running out in front of a sold-out crowd to tie a game and move to 6-0 on the season. By now, the result is well known to Maryland fans.

Novak hit the 46 yarder, hit an ensuing 26 yarder in overtime -- to the tune of play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico proclaiming Novak was kicking like "Jan Stenerud!" -- and the Terps went on to recover a Tech fumble on the ensuing possession to seal the victory.

A year later, Novak has evolved into one of the premier kickers in the ACC and the Terps are looking to regain the magic they found on that Thursday night in Atlanta.

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

These stats stand out IMHO.

-Through Oct 12, Maryland has allowed just 16.8 points per game, 14th best nationally and 2nd in the ACC. The terps pass def ranks 26th nationally, allowing an avg of 182.6 ypg

- The terps have been toughest to score against on this year at the start of each half, yielding 16 and 20 pointsin the first and third quarters, respectively.

- In the last 3 games, Maryland has allowed just 3 TD's and an average of 9.3 ppg

 

[nyraider]

take tech

take tech

take georgia tech+1 1/2

under looks good also, waiting for posted number

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

I never said I was taking Maryland......

 

[nyraider]

i know you didn't!

i know you didn't!

i'm sorry my friend, that was just my input, i like tech!

good luck on who ever you decide

dan

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

no problem Dan,

I was just playing... gl this year to you!

 

[Tduji]

Love reading your writeups and plays....been coattailing for a couple years now...thanks for your hard work.

I am leaning towards Maryland pretty heavily (-2)
Might look at the o/u closer to gametime....


Just my two cents....FWIW


Good luck and keep the streak alive

 

[TIME TO MAKE $$$]

Some more game notes:

-Maryland and Georgia Tech meet for the fifth time on Thursday night since '90. The SU series of those games is tied at 2-2 and Maryland owns a 3-1 ATS edge. Overall in the series, the road team is on a 5-0 ATS run. Both teams come off a bye week and both lost their last conference game. Georgia Tech is 7-13 ATS in its last 20 off a bye week.



-Stat favoring MARYLAND to cover the spread.

Play On - Home favorites of 7 points or less (MARYLAND) - after 2 straight wins by 17 or more points.
(37-20 ATS) (64.9%, +15 units)



-Stats favoring GEORGIA TECH to cover the spread.

Play On - Road underdogs (GEORGIA TECH) - off an upset loss as a home favorite.
(143-97 ATS) (59.6%, +36.3 units)

Play On - Road underdogs of 7 points or less (GEORGIA TECH) - off 2 or more consecutive unders.
(18-7 ATS) (72%, +10.3 units)

Play On - Road underdogs of 7 points or less (GEORGIA TECH) - off an upset loss as a double digit favorite.
(18-7 ATS) (72%, +10.3 units)

Play On - Road underdogs of 7 points or less (GEORGIA TECH) - off a upset loss as a double digit home favorite.
(15-3 ATS) (83.3%, +11.7 units)


In past games, the underdog covered the spread 39 times, while the favorite covered the spread 30 times.
No Edge.
In past games, the underdog won the game straight up 38 times, while the favorite won the game straight up 34 times. No Edge

 

[theGibber1]

damn $$$ you expect me to read all that shit?

just give me the pick!

lol:lol: :lol:

good luck!

 

[no all]

wow thats a ton of info
so whats your play:shrug:
I took maryland
good luck when u choose your play

 

[homerh]

good stuff
good luck on your picks

 

[hellah10]

damn $$$ you expect me to read all that shit?

just give me the pick!

lol:lol: :lol:

good luck!

LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO LMFAO

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[TORONTO-VIGILANTE]

looks like someone' s early this week as well!!!!

man, my EYES are bleeding.....!!!!

like the man said, fawk it, where's my pick????



good luck this week.

dude, we gotta talk about toledo....??